Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library
To honor her lifetime commitment to preserve and advance Cambodian dance, Charya Burt has dedicated herself to provide resources that can be used by Cambodian Dance communities around the world. Those resources include video links to authentic dances from the classical repertory, innovative new works by Charya Burt rooted in tradition, and instructional dance and costuming videos all located in The Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library.
Browsing the Library
Use the navigation menu on top of the website to see our records and all the different views, or read our vocabulary list and user guide first. You may browse the library either by collections and folders, or by record media types. We also maintain a gallery for our newly added records, where you may find recent additions to the library.
Video links are either public or private identified under Online Accessibility field in Airtable views. If you find a video you would like to see that is private, please send a message.
Library Updates
New materials are added, updated, or made public intermittently. Please revisit this site from time to time to see what new resources are available.
Costuming Instruction Highlights
Proper costuming is central to a classical Cambodian dance performance. Each item of the ensemble must be worn in a very specific fashion. It can take several hours for a classical Cambodian dancer to prepare for a performance. Their look is as sacred as their movement.
Costuming instruction highlights for Male and Female Characters with Master Teachers Sokhuon Pen and Yom Penh (Poy) with dancers Charya Burt and Molyta Pum, Cambodia, 2019.
Costuming Instruction Highlights (Charya Burt Cambodian Dance) from Charya Burt on Vimeo.
Charya’s Thoughts on Costuming
“When dancers are costumed ornately, complete with elaborate headdress, they transform themselves into divine beings, celestial gods or goddesses. It is up to the dancers to then maintain their physical and emotional sense of spirituality so that they can embody the essence of the heavenly beings they portray.”
Highlights from the Library
Costuming Instruction with Master Teachers Sokhuon Pen and Yom Penh for the Neang (female) and NeayRong (male) character:
Costuming Instruction with Master Teacher Sophiline Cheam Shapiro for the Neang (female) character:
Dance Instruction conducted by Charya Burt with professional dancers Molyta Pum, Srey Leak Rin, and Phirom Sao:
Dance Instruction Trailer Part I: https://vimeo.com/418139931
Dance Instruction Trailer Part II: https://vimeo.com/418133628
Here are a few sample videos from The Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library:
Robam Bopha Lokai Instruction: https://vimeo.com/570079684
Robam Bopha Lokai: https://vimeo.com/570495329
Robam Phuong Neary Instruction: https://vimeo.com/570090507
Kbach Batt Kley Instruction: https://vimeo.com/436572800
Kbach Batt Yeak Kley: https://vimeo.com/570107043
The Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Digital Library has been made possible in part by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, in partnership with the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and the California Endowment. Further development of the CBCD Digital Library is supported by the Dance/USA 2022 Archiving and Preservation Fellowship Program with special thanks to Morgan Morel, Lingyu Wang, and Dr. Toni Shapiro-Phim.